Meetings

All meetings will be reserved for members only via Zoom until further notice. Zoom link will be Emailed a few days before the meeting.

Next Meeting (via Zoom)

Sunday, October 4, 2020, 1:30-3:30 PM

"Think Like a Reporter to Avoid Genealogy Mistakes", Jennifer Mendelsohn

This talk will cover how more than two decades of journalism experience has helped me as a genealogist, both to zero in on reliable information and not to be duped by unreliable information. We'll talk about using the "Law and Order" method (follow the "dun duns!") to track down information and how relying on simple principles like Occam's Razor -- that the most likely scenario is the least complicated -- and logic grids can help you get further. We'll go over pitfalls like not blindly using Ancestry hints, assessing the credibility of sources, not being wedded to spelling (hello, wildcard searches!) and why genealogy is like playing Concentration: you always have to remember the cards you've seen and turned over.

Speaker: Jennifer Mendelsohn is a seasoned journalist and ghostwriter whose work has appeared in numerous local and national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, Politico, Tablet, People and Slate. A native Long Islander now based in Baltimore, Jennifer is also passionately engaged in the world of genealogy. She serves on the board of the JGS of Maryland, is the administrator of Facebook's Jewish genetic genealogy group, and is the creator of the social media movement known as #resistancegenealogy, which has received international media attention.

Jennifer Mendelsohn

Future Meetings

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Prior Meetings

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